The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Review

The Outsiders Review

Book Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. I loved every second of this book. The book made me laugh. It also made me cry. This really painted a picture for me. It showed me what it was like to live in the 60s. Also it painted the picture of being in different social classes. Things are still the same this day and age. It’s sad that people treat each other like this. There really is no reason for it. We are all different. We are all human. It shouldn’t matter which social classes we are in. We should really all get along.

*Warning*: There will be a lot of favorite quotes for this book! This is my favorite book in the whole entire world!

*2nd Warning* I will probably be reading this every year once a year! It will be my all time favorite book forever.

*3rd Warning* Some minor spoilers!

I’m also going to be buying the 50th anniversary edition from Barnes and Noble! Now I have two different versions of this book! They are both on my book shelf right next to the other S.E Hinton books that I own.

I now own three copies of this book! I also bought the Nook version! 🙂

Characters: 5 stars out of 5. Ponyboy, the narrator, was my favorite character. I could imagine him really well. He was young, but he was smart. He was imaginative. He loves books and movies just like I do. He didn’t feel loved by his oldest brother, but at the end you really learn that his brother loves him. I could really connect with him. Losing his parents must have been hard on him. I don’t know how he was able to get through something like that. I can’t imagine what would happen if I lost my parents. I just know I wouldn’t be able to handle it as well as he did.

Johnny was an amazing character also. I loved that he was best friends with Ponyboy. He was described as a puppy that was kicked down too many times. I really agree with that description. He was abused by his parents. He got beat up by a group of Socs! He became really quiet because of that. That could really shut anyone down. He was quiet, but he was down to earth at the same time. He didn’t want to be like his parents. He actually wanted to get an education. I could relate to him also. His death made me cry…so much… (especially watching it in the movie…)

Sodapop was a loving brother to Ponyboy. He would always come to his brother’s rescue. Ponyboy had a deep connection with him. It was nice seeing the bond between Pony and Soda. I really wish he was in the book more. It must have been hard on him being the middle sibling.

Darry the oldest brother…he had to grow up way to fast. He had to take on the responsibilities that his parents had. He worked too much and too hard. Pony couldn’t connect with him all that well. Pony felt that Darry didn’t love him, but Darry loved him so much. He didn’t want to lose his brother. That was why Darry was so rough on him. I understand and connect with Darry because I am an older sibling myself.

Dally was rough and tough. He went to jail, but he really did have a soft spot for Johnny. He was an interesting character. You really could learn a lot from him. He helped Johnny and Pony although you wouldn’t expect that out of him. His death was unexpected so I really fell in love with him.

Two-Bit was the funniest character in the book. He really does have a sense of humor. He was the whole reason I laughed during the book. His reactions to Pony were funny.

Steve…he’s not my favorite character, but he did change a lot at the end of the book. You can tell that he actually cared about Pony although he thought Pony was a kid and a tag along.

Favorite Quotes: “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you’re gold when you’re a kid, like green. When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn. It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be.”

“It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.”

“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.”

This poem is really by Robert Frost, but it was in the Outsiders. So I will be adding it as one of my favorite quotes, but also my favorite poem ever. I hate poetry normally. The proper title for this poem is “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. As most people do not actually know this. I only know because I wrote a paper about Robert Frost for school. (As I’ve also said I don’t really like poetry all that much.)

“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay.”

“You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you…”

“Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the things you want to see.”

“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.”

“Things are rough all over.”

“He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew he’d die someday.”

“Dally was so real he scared me.”

Writing Style: 5 stars out of 5.

I have read this book about 100 times. I could never get tired of it. It’s my favorite book in general.

P.S. S.E. Hinton is the one that inspired me to write. I have loved writing since I was like 11. I had started my first novel then. I don’t write it anymore, but I have come up with other ideas. I just have to execute it. Thank you so much S.E. Hinton for being a big inspiration for me. I really appreciate it! 🙂 <3

by Angiediane2400